What Happens in the Asylum, Stays in the Asylum
by KaiAmazonKnightley
Summary: What happens when the Flock is sent to the Asylum? Set after Max.
1. We aren't Insane!

**This all started with a totally random thought while I was talking to my friend. What if Max and her flock were sent to an asylum? I hope you enjoy it. **

**Set after Max.**

* * *

Location: Flock safehouse

Point of View: Max

I jolt awake. What was that noise?

The sound of glass breaking travel to me yet again. I slowly, quietly stand. I silently creep to the door of my room. Ever so quietly, I open it, hoping, praying the creaking doesn't alarm the intruders.

I make my way down the hall, hiding behind the corner. Right as I'm about to peer around the wall, the back of my neck tingles. I whirl around, fists ready, to have Fang put his hand over my mouth to keep me from saying anything. With his other hand, he puts a finger to his lips, then points around the corner.

I nod, and he releases me. I peer around the edge of the corner to see...

Nothing. No one's there. Nothing looks like it was moved. I relax and am about to turn around to tell Fang all is fine when I see the broken window.

I hear Fang yell my name right before everything goes black.

* * *

I wake to a white-walled room. I'm laying down on a bed, but I'm not strapped down.

I stand, and the rooms spins for a few seconds. I fight the dizziness and make my way to the door. Before I can think it through, I lay my hand on the handle and twist. Then I pull on the handle. The door doesn't open. I wrestle with the infuriating door for a few seconds before my brain has started working enough to tell me that the door is locked.

I start breathing heavily. I'm back in the School, I know it. I pound on the door, just for it to swing open.

Oh. I guess my befuddled brain didn't think of _pushing_ the door... *cough cough, nervous laughter*

Now I feel stupid.

A lady in what looks like a nurses outfit walks down the hall.

"Oh, hello." She greets cheerily. "You must be one of the new residents. What's your name, young madam?"

Wait. Why is she being so friendly? New residents? What the mess is that supposed to mean? She's asking for my name? And madam? Where did that come from?

I so stunned I answer, "Maximum."

"OH! You're Maximum Ride! Welcome, welcome! I think that two other new residents were asking for you."

"Which ones?!" I ask hurriedly.

"A cute little blonde girl. I think she said her name was Angel. She has the most adorable blue eyes. And then a tall dark boy. He wouldn't tell us his name."

Angel and Fang?! They're here?! Where is here, exactly?

"Wait, where are they?"

"Oh, the little girl is in room 705. The boy is in room 708." The nurse lady strolls away. I look across from my room and see 708. Hm. I look back at my door, close it. There it is. 709. My room is 709.

Is it just Fang and Angel that are here? Or are the others here, too? I'm about to open Fang's door when another lady walks up. "Are you," She looks down at her clip board. "Maximum?" I nod. "Please return to your room. There are some clean clothes for you in the drawers. You may choose whatever you like to wear. Meet in the Board Room in thirty minutes. That's down the hall to the elevator, then go to the 10th floor. Everything is labeled from there. Be sure toge your ID card, from the top of the dresser, it's the only way you'll be able to use the elevator or open doors from the outside."

I nod, then go back into my room. When I turn around to close the door, I see her using a card to open Fang's door. Back inside my room, I go sit on my bed. There is a clock that projects the time on the ceiling. I look at it. 11:03 AM. I sit there, numb, trying to figure out where we are for a good ten minutes. I come up with nothing.

Growling in annoyance, I stand and walk to the dresser. On top is a card in a lanyard. The card is small, smaller than most. It's width is the length of my thumb. It's a small screen, really. On the card is:

**_**_  
**|MAXIMUM RIDE; ROOM 709**** |  
|****ITL: 3_**** |  
|****ACCESS: 50%_ **** |  
|****ID: 6294686 ****_ |  
**

I leave the card on the dresser and open the drawers, rummaging through them until I find what I want. A white shirt with black stripes (or maybe it's black with white stripes?), some skinny jeans, a red jacket that stops halfway down my torso. I find some black high-top converse in the bottom drawer with shoes in it.

I get dressed, then look at the time again. 11:24. I guess it's now or never. After grabbing the card, I open my door and start walking to the elevator. The door behind me opens. I look behind me to see Fang step out of his room.

"Fang!" I say, getting his attention. "Do you have any clue where we are?" I ask.

Fang shrugs, looking a little uneasy. "Any clue about the meeting?"

"I'm not sure. I'm kind of nervous."

"I know the feeling. I can't help but think that it's just a trap, and all of this niceness is just to lower our guard."

And everyone says I'm paranoid.

"I wonder if the rest of the flock is here. I know Angel is here, at least." I'm about to answer the question in fang's eyes when the door behind me opens. 205.

Angel peeks out, then runs to hug me. "Max!" She says, then stops. She looks like she's concentrating on something. She sighs. "I though that I could read minds again. But only a few. No one in the rooms. While I was in the room, I couldn't hear anyone's thoughts at all." She elaborates.

"Oh." I say, not even bothering to ask if she knows if the flock is here.

"Well, there's only one way to find out, right?" She answers, then pulls open the door in between mine and hers. Nudge is inside, sitting on her bed. When she sees us, she jumps up.

"ZOMG! You are here! I thought I was all alone! I'm so happy that you are here! Wait, where's Iggy and Gazzy? Are they here too? Maybe they're just in the other rooms or something? Where are we, anyway?"

Yep. That's Nudge. Before she can start talking again, I say, "I'll check the other rooms."

It turns out that Gazzy was across from Angel, and Iggy was across from Nudge. The four us go to the elevator. The doors slide open silently.

"Please state desired floor." An automated voice says.

"Uh... tenth floor?" I say tentatively. The doors slide closed.

"Identification of all six passengers, please." A scanner pops out of the wall to the right of the doors. I hold my card up to it, then it blinks green. Everyone else follows suit.

"Access granted to all passengers."

The elevator quickly rises to the 10th floor, and it's all I can do to keep my panic from rising too. Stupid claustrophobia. The elevator comes to a halt and the doors slide open.

We all pile out, stumbling in our haste to exit the Moving Box of Death.

_~`You know, Fang is real paranoid, but I'm pretty sure you could easily be a worthy rival...`~_ Angel says in my head.

_~You're referring to the Moving Box of Death thing, right?~_

_~`Duh.`~_

I walk down the hall, which has red carpet and beige walls. It looks like a nice office building now. The end of the hall is shaped like a T, with two hallways branching off of it. There is a metal sign on the wall that has arrows pointing down the two hallways. My eyes scan the list of places until they come across BOARD ROOM. I turn down the right hall and walk down until I see the door to the Board Room. Slowly, I swing the door open and step inside. The floor is really thick glass, with fish swimming in clear water underneath. A door at the back opens.

"Welcome!" The happy voice comes from a man in a suit. "Come, sit." he notices us looking at the fish. "Oh, do you like it? The aquarium is right beneath us, so we just had the thick diamond, then crystal, then glass. It's clear, but strong enough so that it doesn't break. Anyway, welcome to Ridley's Insane Asylum!" The man claps his hands.

"Ridley's what?!" I demand.

"Ridely's Insane Asylum."

"Why the mess are we in an _insane asylum_?" I ask.

"Oh, Max. Calm down and sit. I'll explain everything!"

"But we aren't insane!"

"Then why do you hear a voice?" The man counters. Ooh, he's good.

I'm left gaping.

"Now, sit!" he demands.

I slide down into a chair.

"Personally, I'm convinced that the Voice is just her conscience. I mean, she has to have one."

In response to Fang's comment, I elbow him in the ribs.

The man looks at us sympathetically. "But all of you are insane. I mean, you all think you have wings!"

I stand back up. "That's because we do, idiot!"

"That's expected to think when you're insane, sweetie."

"Sweetie?! And we really do have wings!" To prove it to him, I extend my wings.

The man laughs. "Oh, I know you have wings. I just wanted to see them and figured you'd never show them to me if I had simply asked. Anyway, no more lies from here on." he takes his eyes off of my wings and looks me in the eyes, smiling. His smile reaches his eyes. A good trait.

But I still don't believe him. If he lied one, he can lie again.

"He's telling the truth Max." Angel says.

I look at her, then slide back down into my seat. "Okay, fine. Explain why we're here."

* * *

**The end. I have this as a one-shot, but if you guys like it, tell me and I'll turn it into a story. Thanks for reading!**

**May you keep a strong heart and a steady mind,**

**-KaiAmazonKnightley**


	2. Blondie Over There

**Okay, guys, I have a confession to make. I had every intention of continuing this story. I was just curious about how people would react if I said that it was a oneshot. I promise it will never happen again.**

**Maybe.**

**Anyway, thanks for reviewing, favoriting, and following.**

* * *

Chapter: Two

Location: Ridley's Insane Asylum; Tenth Floor; Board Room

Point of View: Fang

Recap:_ "Welcome to Ridley's Insane Asylum!" _

_"Why the mess are we in an insane asylum?" I ask._

_"Oh, Max. Calm down and sit. I'll explain everything!"_

_"But we aren't insane!"_

_"Then why do you hear a voice?" The man counters. Ooh, he's good._

_I'm left gaping. He smiles, and it reaches his eyes. A good trait._

_I look at her, then slide back down into my seat. "Okay, fine. Explain why we're here."_

I cross my arms and lean back into the chair, waiting for this.

_~This should be good.~ _I think.

The man takes a seat at the head of the long table. Even the table is glass.

"Okay, so if this place is full of a bunch of insane people, why is there so much glass in this room?" Gazzy asks, curious.

"That's because this floor is off limits to most of the people here. Even some of the workers aren't allowed on this floor except for special occasions." the man says.

Nudge looks like she's about to burst from not talking.

"ZOMG! I love this room! The fish are sooooooo cool! I love them! But Gazzy does make a valid point... Anyway, I love all of the little fishies swimming around! And did you say that there was crystal in the floor? One of my favorite names is Krystal! That is so cool! [insert gasp here] I jsut realized something! You never told us you're name! You know what, you really look like a Harv. Or a Maverick. Or a Bob. I've always wanted to meet someone who was named Bob. They say that it's a common name but I've never met anyone once in my life with the name Bob. But then again, I haven't exactly met a lot of people. But that's not my fault! And-"

By this point everyone is either facepalming(Max and Angel), slamming their head on the table repeatedly(Iggy), holding their ears(Gazzy), or smiling with interest on their face(The moron-I mean man.)

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes. Then I slap my hand over Nudge's mouth. "Nudge. Please." I practically plead.

"THANK YOU, FANG! THE EMO BOY SAVED MY HEARING!" Iggy exclaims in joy.

"Excuse me?"

Iggy looks down sheepishly. "I mean... uh... the awesome boy saved my hearing?"

"Thought so."

Everyone else is holding back laughter.

The man smiles at Iggy, then turns to Nudge. "Actually, my name isn't Harv, or Maverick, or even, as awesome as that name is, Bob. My name is Lib. Lib Ross. And it is wonderful to meet you, Nudge. I find you very interesting."

Nudge smiles. "Most people just think I'm annoying..."

Lib tilts head a little and gives her a sympathetic look. "Well I pity the person who doesn't give you a second look because they wrongly think you're annoying."

Lib brightens up, clapping. The entire flock flinches at the loud noise. Lib must love to clap.

"Now, as to why you kids, or flock, as you call yourselves, are here because it's the best way to protect you."

No sooner are the words out of his mouth that Max is standing. "We don't need protection. We were perfectly fine in our safe house until you idiots decided to break in and kidnap us!"

Lib motions for Max to sit down. She crosses her arms. "Max, sweetie, I'm not going to tell you anything until you are calm. So, please sit down. Would anyone like something to eat or drink?"

Bad question. I don't even have a millisecond to steel myself before the entire flock, excluding Max and I, are yelling, demanding food. Well, Max is yelling, but not about food.

I think I actually kind of sort of feel bad for him.

And the feeling's gone.

Lib claps again, getting us to be quiet. "Now, I'll just order some pizza and water from the kitchens." I notice he doesn't bother to ask us is that's okay with us. Lib stands and walk over to a phone on the wall. "Mariangela, can we get 2 of each type of pizza we can make up here? Thank you."

Lib comes and sits back down. "Now." He starts, his elbows on the table, fingers steepled. Reluctantly, Max sits down in the seat to my left. "Your protection was only one of the many reasons. And we were not the ones who kidnapped you. The School sent people to kidnap you and take you back. Luckily, the driver of the van you guys were put in works for us. She knew that it was wrong to take you back."

"Then why were they working for the School?" Iggy points out.

"Well, the School hired some people. The people are a squad from Comatose. Comatose is a company of sorts. They are groups of many different people with different talents. They are hired by people and companies alike for jobs. There are hackers, spies, hunters, bodyguards, things of the sort." Lib explains. "No one knows why they call themselves Comatose."

He's smart. Answers questions before they can be asked.

"Why would the driver take us here?" Max asks.

The door opens. "Because Ridley's isn't what it seems." A deep, menacing, yet feminine voice says from behind us. All of us turn to look at the girl. Is this Mariangela? She doesn't look like it.

_~`Well, Mariangela _does_ mean Rebel Angel...`~_ Angel helpfully says.

Hm. I must have let my mental barriers down.

The girl strides forward, grabs a chair, turns it around, and sits in it. She leans back in the chair and props her black knee-high converse clad feet up on the table. "Rese Udia Ross. That is not how you talk to people upon meeting them!" Lib chides.

Rese rolls her silvery blue eyes. She has high cheekbones and a squared jaw framed by black hair that has dark, blood red tips. She has a white streak just above her left temple, and her hair is cut all choppy. She's wearing black. She's about our age- 15.

"Hey, look. Fang has a friend!" Gazzy says.

"You know, it's probably be wise to _not_ pick things up from Iggy." Angel says.

I allow myself a smirk.

"So, thanks to Lib, you all know my name. I'm guessing you're Fang." She points to me. "You're Gazzy." She points to Gazzy. "And you must be Iggy." She points to him. "I'm guessing that because you have this proud smile on your face, and bondie said that Gazzy over there picked it up from you."

Angel scowls at Rese. "My name is Angel, thank you very much!"

"Okay. So then... You're Max, and you're Nudge." She says, pointing to them as she says their names.

"What did you mean by what you said when you came in?" Max asks.

"I meant just what I said. I thought I was pretty clear."

Lib rolls his eyes at Rese. She obviously gets on his nerves. "You're such a twerp of a sister."

"I love you, too big bro!" Rese says sarcastically.

"What she means by Ridley's isn't what it seems is that, yes, Ridley's is an insane asylum, but it's also a refuge for hybrids."

"What?" I ask.

"So you're saying that there actually aren't any insane people here? Just a bunch of hybrids?" Nudge asks.

Rese laughs. "Oh, no. There are insane people here. Lots."

"Why do you think she's here?" Lib interrupts.

Rese ignores him. "But mixed into all those insane people are the hybrids. You see, Ridley's resembles a small community. Even has a few stores. And it's all within the walls. Where we are is the Main building. This is where everyone goes when they first come or when they are.. uh, quite serious cases. Just stick to floors one, three, seven, and nine and you might not run into any of the dangerous ones. And honestly some of the hybrids have gone insane."

She let's this sink in. "But... where does everyone else go?" Gazzy asks, obviously confused.

"You see, the more stable insanes and hybrids are living in their own houses within Ridley's community. Which, after your first week here, you'll be assigned to your own house." Rese answers.

Iggy looks up from the table. "You said all of the odd numbered floors were okay except for five. I couldn't help but notice.:

Rese laughs. "Oh, yeah. Five is the only odd-numbered floor that houses the... incurables. They're actually quite fun to hang out with. Well, that is, when they aren't trying to kill you. That'd explain why most of them are in strait jackets..." She trails off.

"Kill you?"

"Yup." She says casually, popping the 'p.'

The entire flock looks at her incredulously. "Oh, but you're safe as long as you stay off of the fifth floor. The first floor is where the cafeteria is located. The third and seventh floor are for newbies. Nine is the aquarium, which we're standing over. Ten, the floor we're on right now, is the offices. People are only allowed here on special occasions."

This is when I notice that Lib has been staring at the floor, arms crossed, the entire time, looking quite annoyed.

"Well, I'll be off. In one week, meet back up here, we'll have a house ready for all of you. Until then, if you need me, it would be best to call me. I'm usually with the incurables." Mischievous smile on her face, Rese stands and walks out the door.

Lib looks up, going back to his cheerful self. "Well! I thought she'd never leave. Anyway, does anyone have any questions?!"

I'm pretty sure all of us were too stunned by his mood swing to think of anything.

"Wait! What about the ID card things? I'm really confused. What does ITL stand for? Does it stand for-" Gazzy slaps a hand over Nudge's mouth, silencing her.

"ITL stands for Insanity Total Level."

"And we're level three?" I ask.

"Yes. It's on a scale from one to ten."

"BUT WE AREN'T INSANE!"

Lib sighs. "Max. The average ITL of normal people is two. Okay? So you're fine. You and the flock are just here for the hybrid refugee part. So you might as well enjoy your stay at Ridley's Insane Asylum. But, even at your insistence that you are not insane, I'm afraid that all of you are a little insane."

Lib stands up and claps, cutting me off. "Okay. You are all dismissed! You may go back to your rooms. Tomorrow you will be free to roam the building, until then, if you need anything, just call for it!"

All of us stand and file out of the room.

"Oh, yes! I will have the pizza brought to your rooms!" Lib calls out from behind us.

Huh. I had totally forgotten about the pizza. I nod and run into the elevator just as the doors are about to close. I slip through the doors just as the automated voice asks us where we want to go. "Seventh floor, please."

"Identification of all passengers needed." We all pass our ID cards over the scanner. Once the elevator doors open, we tumble out.

"Okay, everyone. Meet in my room tonight around 5. We need to discuss this." I say. We stack out hands together, tap them, then head back to our rooms.

Once in my room, I collapse onto the bed. I stare up at the ceiling, wondering how we went from a safe house, to an asylum. A few minutes later, there is a knock on my door. I pull myself into a somewhat standing position and trudge my way over to the door. I tug it open to see one of the nurse ladies standing there, pizza boxes piled high in her hands.

"Here you go, dear." She says, handing them to me. "Enjoy!" With that she scurries off, leaving me standing in my doorway, slightly dazed, pizza boxes in hand.

I watch her walk off, then, with my foot, close the door. I lay the boxes on my bed. "Is there a table in here?" I ask no one in particular. Hm. Maybe I am going insane. I mean, I'm talking to myse-

I jump as an automated voice says, "Table requested." and a table pops out of the wall.

"Hm. What about a chair, oh disembodied voice that isn't in my head?"

Sure enough, a chair rises out of the floor. "Wow." Is all I can come up with to sum up how cool this is.

"Uh... Phone?" I ask tentatively.

"Who would you like to call?"

I wonder if anyone else has figured all of this out... If they haven't, it could really scare them if they suddenly hear ringing, then the room starts talking to them.

[insert evil laughter here]

"Call Fang."

"Calling Fang."

I start laughing maniacally by this point.

*.*.*. Location: Room 708; Point of View: Fang .*.*.*

I'm left confused as the lady leaves. I set the pizza boxes down. I have just opened one of the boxes when I am startled by a voice saying, "Incoming Call from Max... Incoming Call from Max..."

"Uh... answer?" I say, unsure.

"You are now in a call with Max."

"Um... okay?"

"Hey Fang. So I figured out how you call people. You just use the disembodied voice from the room." My eyes widen a fraction as I hear Max's voice.

"What?" I say, incredulous.

"Oh, yeah. This is the call feature. Did you know that a table will pop out of the wall?"

"Uh... No?"

"So, what do you say to freaking Iggy out?"

I smile. "I say let's do it."

* * *

**I was actually planning on having one of the insane people walk into Max's room and start talking to her about totally random things, but I'll just wait until next chapter!**

**Thanks for reading.**

**May you keep a strong heart and a steady mind,**

**-KaiAmazonKnightley**


	3. You Are Not From the Future!

**Time to freak Iggy out! [insert evil laughter here]**

* * *

Chapter: Four

Location: Iggy's Room, Room 706

Point of View: Iggy

Recap:

_"So, what do you say to freaking Iggy out?"_

_Fang smiles. "I say let's do it."_

I am happily digging into the pizza that the nurse lady gave me. I've already gone through- let's see... 1, 2, 3... 6 pizza boxes. Yum.

Suddenly I hear ringing.

"What the mess?" I ask. I am very confused as to what is going on. When did someone walk in here? What's going on?! Are we under attack? Are we being bombed? Well, that would be pretty cool, but still. What's going on?!

Suddenly I hear an automated, monotone voice say, "Incoming call from Max." It repeats it. And again. Again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I yell. Who got in here? I don't hear anyone. Then it clicks. There must be some kind of phone in here. "Um... Answer?" I say, unsure.

"Hey, Iggy!" I hear Max say.

"Uh... what's going on?" I ask, not ready to admit that I'm slightly afraid of the answer.

"Did you know that the room has a voice? And that tables and chairs pop out of the wall and the floor?" Max asks.

So she's finally gone off the deep end. Funny that it didn't happen until _after_ we got to the asylum.

"What?"

"Yeah. I'm calling you right now. So I'm not really in your room. You were scared, weren't you?"

I'm about to answer when I hear the door slam open. "Okay, Max. Now you decide to come in?"

"Who's Max?" I hear an unfamiliar voice say.

"Uh... who are you?" I ask, hearing the unknown person walk across the room to be a few feet away from me. I'm tempted to back up to the wall. The person steps lightly, so they must not weigh much. The voice suggests a young girl.

"I'm Cela!" She exclaims. "I heard that there were newbies. I wanted to meet them. Your room was the only one Sam would tell me about. She's so mean to me! And she never believes me! I know for a fact that I am from the future. I remember it. She says it was all just a dream, but I know it wasn't. I really was there! I mean, I remember the year 2043. Oh, yeah, spoiler alert! The world doesn't end in 2012. It turns out the Mayans were just attacked and went extinct before they could finish the calender. We know because some time travelers explored the Mayan times for a few years."

"Uh..." Cela and Nudge could go toe to toe in talking in one breath. I decide to play along with the girl. "Well, how did you get here?"

"Well, you see, we went on a field trip at school to the year 1903. We were just going there for a day, to see how primitive people were then. On the way back home, I was pushed out of the time warp. Then, boom, here I am. I've been trying to get back home, but no one will believe me! I've told them all kinds of things that happen in the future, and they didn't believe me! Even when I told them that Florida was going to flood so much that it wouldn't even exist anymore! they just laughed at me! But it's going to happen! And then, in 2013, Texas is going to leave the U.S. because they don't like the president. But no one would listen to me! Can you believe that?"

"Look, kid, I have no clue what you're talking about. I'm just a blind bird kid who cooks and makes bombs. And-"

"You're blind?! I would never have guessed. Though I was wondering why you were staring at my ear like I was insane. But, anyway, you have to help me get back to the future. Please, please, just believe me!"

I imagine she's giving me bambi eyes. "Bambi eyes don't work on blind people. You kind of have to see them for them to work."

"But you believe me, right?"

Hm. Tell the truth and break the kid's heart? Or be nice and lie? Max is always going on about the importance of telling the truth, so sorry, kid. I'm about to let the kid down when I hear someone step into my room from the still open door. "Who called a party in here?" I say sarcastically.

"Cela May! You get back over here and stop torturing this poor guy! Just leave everyone alone! We all know you aren't from the future!"

"Thank you." I say to the girl who walked in.

"But... but Sam! It's true! I am from the future!"

"I'm your sister! I was there right after you were born! You are not from the future!" The girl, who I'm guessing in Sam, yells. She strides across the room and, from Cela's sharp cry of "ouch!", I'm guessing she pinched her ear. Sam drags Cela out of my room.  
Then my door slams closed.

"What just happened?" I ask the empty room.

That's when I hear the stifled laughter. "Max? did you hear all of that?"

"Yes!" Max answers, fighting back laughter.

"That was hilarious."

"Fang! Did you hear all that too!?"

"Yes, yes I did."

"Leave me alone! Good bye to you!" I say. After a few seconds:

"Uh... Max? How do you end a call?"

"End call initiated. Call ended." I hear the room say.

Huh... that's a funny sentence... The asylum. Where rooms talk to you.

* * *

**End chapter.**

**Thanks for reading! I hope you guys liked it! Sorry for taking so long to update. I promise I'll get back to a normal schedule soon.**

**May you keep a strong heart and a steady mind,**

**-KaiAmazonKnightley**


	4. It's Scar, Not Oscar

**Sorry, guys, for taking so long to update. I don't like repeating myself, so if you wish for the reason as to why it's taken so long, please refer to When the Dark Faded chapter 9 authors note. Thank you.**

* * *

Chapter: 5

Location: Max's room; Room 709

Point of View: Max

Recap: _"Okay, everyone. Meet in my room tonight around 5. We need to discuss this."_

When 5 o'clock comes around, the Flock makes their way to my room. Angel is the first to come, looking quite... odd. Nudge comes next. She sees Angel, and immediately starts babbling about all of the people she talked to over the "room phone." Gazzy and Iggy arrive at the same time, Iggy refusing to even acknowledge me.

"Aw, what's the matter? If wittle Iggy's pride hurt?" I say just to get on his nerves.

Fang is the last to come. Or, at least, I think he was the last. I don't really know when he got here, so I'm just going to say he was the last to get here.

"So what are we here to discuss?" Gazzy questions.

"Whether or not we should trust them and stay here, or high tail it outta here." I answer.

Nudge speaks up. "I think that it would be fun to stay here. I mean, if something bad happens, we can always leave, right? It wouldn't be that hard. But the Rese girl said that others like us are here. And-"

"Nudge has a point. We could give it a chance." Fang says, effectively cutting Nudge off.

I turn to Angel. "Have you gotten anything?"

Angel looks up at me. "The only time I got anything was when we were in the halls and the meeting room. I was able to go through Lib's mind while Rese was talking. He let me. Nothing was there that would lead me to distrust him..." She trails off.

"What are you leaving off?" I ask.

"Rese wouldn't let me go through her mind. She told me, while we were mentally communicating, that she has many things that she would like to keep to herself. I told her I'd keep them secrets, but she just told me that she has trust issues." Angel admits.

Note to self: Don't trust Rese... yet.

"Okay. Who wants to stay for awhile?" Everyone raises their hands. Fang looks at me and shrugs.

I take a deep breath. "Fine. I guess we're staying."

As if to punctuate my words, the door swings open, reminding me that I hadn't locked it, and a young girl about Angel's age walks in. She closes the door and exclaims something about her handler trying to find her. Then she spots Iggy, who's face had paled(as much as it can) when he heard her voice.

"I know you! You're the one I talked to awhile ago!"

Then I remember her voice. I had heard it over the room phone.

"Uh.. Celia?" She nods.

"Who's your handler?" I ask.

"Sam. She's really mean. She tells me that I'm not from the future, when I am! I know it!" She frowns.

The door opens and a tall girl with dirty blonde hair and bright grey eyes walks in. "Celia! What are you doing?!"

Celia hides behind Iggy, red curls bouncing.  
"It's her!" She whispers.

"Celia! Stop annoying people." Sam says, walking over to her. Iggy steps aside. Sam nods, then pulls Celia out of the room, muttering apologies. She runs into three people out in the hall.

"Oh, hey Rese, Scar." I see her walk in the opposite direction of them.

Eyebrows furrowed, Rese turns and walks into my room. "Is there a party in here or something?" She asks sarcastically.

"Why of course, can't you tell?" I answer.

Two guys walk in behind Rese. One has short blonde hair and bright blue eyes that seem to shift different shades. The stocky guy has a smile on his face, right above a squared jaw. The other guy has dark brown hair and dark green eyes, so dark they are almost black. He is tall and lanky.

Rese notices us looking at the two guys. "Oh, this is Ryder. He's my twin." She points to the blonde. I can see the similarities now. "And this is Scar. His real name is Oscar, though." She gestures to the darker guy.

"Sure, tell the world, why don't you?" Scar says, rolling his eyes.

"I can arrange that."

"Please don't."

Rese smiles mischievously.

"Anyway," Rese starts, turning to us. "We are already securing you guys a house on the grounds. Tomorrow you can go to meet all of the other refugee hybrids if you please. If you ever need anything, contact me. Don't bother going to Lib. He has no clue what he's doing, no matter what he tells you." Rese smiles. It's one that reaches her eyes. A good trait.

I nod. "I will."

Rese turns and walks out of the room with a nod.

"Okay, guys... I suppose we can see what else these rooms have in store for us..." I say. As soon as I do, the flock disperses.

* * *

**End Chapter.**

**Sorry for making it so short, guys. I promise an extra long chapter soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**May you keep a strong heart and a steady mind, **

**-KaiAmazonKnightley**


	5. I am Crazy, After All

**Sorry, guys. I was without internet for what seems like forever. Also, today we learn a little about Rese, her past and her family.  
**

* * *

Chapter: 6

Location: Rese's Cottage; Ridley's grounds

Point of View: Rese

Recap: There isn't really a recap...

My eyes open to see the weak morning light filtering through my window. I roll over and rub my face in my pillow before willing myself to get up. My feet sink into the soft, fluffy carpet of my room. Standing, I make my way over to my closet. Practically forcing my eyes to stay open, I get dressed in dark red jeggings and a fitted black shirt with sleeves that stop right above my elbows.

I don't even bother looking in the mirror as I put my long, soft black hair into the buns at my shoulders, the buns being the red part of my hair. The style reminds me of Mulan's hair, before she cuts it all off. Only, there's two of them...

I step out of my room and lightly take the stairs two at a time.

There is a picture of a man in the stairwell. On the right side, five steps down. The man has cropped black hair and bright blue eyes, resembling my own. The man is Ridley, founder of Ridley's Insane Asylum. And my father.

Hitting the bottom of the stairs, I start to wish that I had put socks on before coming down. My bare feet are not enjoying the cold wooden floors. I shuffle to the kitchen and grab a bright mug with an oriental design on it. I put some water in it from the tap and lightly set it into the microwave.

My siblings and I were the inspiration for my dad to build this place. Him and my grand parents. My mother helped as well.

The annoying, shrill beeping of the microwave signals that it's done. I take the mug out and, ripping open a package of cocoa mix, pour the powder into the now warm water. I take a spoon from the drawer and start stirring the cocoa mix with the water. As I stir, I walk back up the stairs and to the room beside mine. I set the cocoa down on the dresser beside the door and make my way to the sleeping form in the bed.

"Stasia. It's time to wake." I say softly.

Anastasia, my little 9-year-old sister, rolls over and sleepily looks up at me, pure white hair messy. "It's morning already?"

I nod. "I made you some cocoa."

Stasia sits up and stretches, her white and black wings stretching out behind her. She blinks, then stands up. I smile, letting my own wings out a little.

"I love your wings. They look like phoenix's wings." Stasia says as she grabs the mug and sips some of the cocoa out of it, her black eyes peeking up at me over the rim of the mug.

They do indeed. **(A/N: Link of her wings on my profile)** The huge red wings resemble a dark fire. I shake them out a little before turning and heading out of Stasia's room. I make my way to Ryder's room, across from mine. Throwing open the door, I trudge in. "Wake up! It's already 6:30!" I yell.

Ryder jolts awake. He sits up and slowly turns to me, glaring. "Can I hit you?"

"Sure. But I'd personally tie you to the back of a car and drag you for a few miles." I answer.

"I'm sure you would." Ryder says sarcastically.

I slowly turn, doing the insane laugh I have, twitching. "I would. I am crazy, after all."

Ryder smirks and throws a pillow at me. I dodge it and walk out of his room, laughing. Sure, we spar like that everyday, but, hey, it's tradition. I go into the room that's across from Stasia's. "Yo, Lib. Get up." I yell, hurling a pillow at him. The same pillow Ryder threw at me, in fact.

"You're so annoying." Lib says.

I smile with fake sweetness and answer, "Only for you." I turn on my heel. "And be careful what you say. I am making your breakfast." I say as I walk out of the room and head back down the stairs.

Why am I doing everything, especially for my 21-year-old brother? Because when Lib had his own house, he almost died, just because he really can't take care of himself. Anastasia's too young to take care of herself. So Ryder and I switch out on responsibilities.

I quickly start on breakfast, mixing things, throwing bacon into a frying pan, etc.

Ryder strides into the kitchen and leans against the doorway. "What's on the menu for today?"

"We have a menu?" I ask.

Ryder rolls his eyes. Rather than arguing, he goes with the safe answer and figures it out himself. "I'm guessing bacon, eggs, crepes, and rice?"

"My favorite." I say, pouring some of the crepe batter into the pan.

After about fifteen minutes, I'm done making breakfast and am placing everything on the table. All of us, minus Lib, quickly eat our first plate and pile food on the second. I suppose the Flock has it better. They don't have cat DNA added to the bird DNA. Sure, it's fun being about to freak people out with my lions growl, and I am supremely graceful and always land on my feet, but I need an extra thousand calories, and I tend to be a little vain, along with wanting to sleep... ALL. DAY.

Besides that, it's pretty cool being 94% human, 2% bird, and 2% lion. Ryder has 2% panther, and Stasia has 2% white tiger, contributing to her odd coloring.

After easily finishing my fifth plate, I rise from my seat and place my dishes in the sink.

"Where are you going?" Lib asks, still on his first plate of food.

"I'm going to meet Scar, then we're going to take the Flock on a tour of Ridleys." I answer, shoving my feet into my knee-high converse boots.

Ryder gives me a look. "You've been hanging out with Scar a lot lately." He comments.

"Your point?" I shrug on my jacket and throw the front door open to head outside. "Oh, yeah. Sam is bringing her little sister over today. So Stasia and her can hang out." I add before I'm out the door.

* * *

**End chapter. Thanks for reading!**

**May you keep a strong heart and a steady mind,**

**-KaiAmazonKnightley**


	6. One of Your Shoes are Tied! Good Job!

Chapter: 7

Location: Udia Rock, Sector 3

Point of View: Rese

Recap:

_"Where are you going?" Lib asks._

_"I'm going to meet Scar, then we're going to take the Flock on a tour of Ridleys." I answer._

_Ryder gives me a look. "You've been hanging out with Scar a lot lately." He comments._

_"Your point?" I shrug on my jacket and throw the front door open to head outside. "Oh, yeah. Sam is bringing her little sister over today. So Stasia and her can hang out." I add before I'm out the door._

"Oh, good. You're here. Took you long enough." I say as Scar walks up to the outcropping I'm sitting on. We are at Udia Rock, a huge, totally random landmark on Ridley's grounds. It's like a mini mountain just decided to spring up one day. Udia's rock is about the size of a two-story house, right on the outer edge of Ridley's grounds. Seriously, you can take five steps away from the rock and touch the huge stone wall.

Yeah, read it again. The huge stone wall that surrounds all one hundred and three acres that is known as Ridley's Insane Asylum lands. I look up at the 4 story tall wall, squinting as the sun appears over the wall.

"Yeah, well you made me wait four hours last week." Scar counters.

"I told you, that was all Ryder's fault!" I defend myself.

Scar rolls his eyes. "I'm sure." He says sarcastically.

Sighing, I snap open my wings and jump off of the side of the outcropping, flying down the magnificent rock. "Come on, loser. We need to meet with the Flock. Give them the grand tour." I yell up at Scar, feeling the reassuring ground under my feet.

Scar grabs the underside of the part of the rock that juts out and, finding a handhold, swings himself down. I watch as he climbs his way down. "Gosh, you're so slow!" I yell.

"Yeah, well, I'm afraid that my snake and lion DNA doesn't really help in this situation." Scar says, then proceeds to jump the rest of the 10 feet down.

The second he lands, I turn on my heel and take off down the path through the small forest like place. I'm almost to the road, the trees already thinning out, when I hear a deep voice growl in my ear, "It helps in this one, though."

Instead of jumping, I tense up and turn to him slowly. Keeping my calm, I yell, "WHAT THE MESS?!" Then my brain finally registers that it was Scar, and I give him a look. "You're lucky I realized it was you. I almost went all ninja on you."

"Oh, please." Scar says, moving in front of me, walking backwards. His shaggy hair swirls around his head like a lions' mane. "I'm a much better ninja than you."

"Whatever."

"Oh, what's that?" Scar mocks, cupping a hand around his ear. "What's that I hear? Denial? OH, well I bet you didn't know that denial just means it's true."

I let out a single laugh, then beckon him closer using the index finger of my right hand. He leans forward, and I get really close to his ear. "I'M SORRY, YOU MUST NOT HAVE HEARD ME! YOU SEEM TO BE SHOWING SIGNS OF BEING DEAF!" I yell right in his ear.

Scar immediately jumps away, holding his ear. "Well, I will be now."

"Whatever, loser." I laugh, striding away.

Eventually, we get to the Main Building. I throw the double doors open. "Hello, my people!" I exclaim.

Behind me, Scar sighs, and you can practically see him rolling his eyes. I walk to the elevator and step inside. Scar and I scan our cards and the elevator starts to make it's way to the seventh floor.

"So... How's life?" I ask, attempting to break the awkward silence.

"Well, someone told me that one of my shoes were untied this morning. Why are people so negative? Why couldn't they have said, 'Hey, one of you're shoes are tied! Good job!' I mean, seriously!"

I stare at him for a few seconds. "Oscar Red Jones, you are such a drama queen."

"You are _so_ hurtful." Scar says in mock offense.

"You are _so_ annoying." I answer. We stare at each other a few awkward seconds before we bust out laughing right as the doors open. I try to stifle my laughter to keep it from spilling out into the hall, but I fail.

Clearing my throat, I walk out into the hall and, stopping at her room, knock on Max's door.

"What do you want, Iggy?!" I hear a muffled voice from inside.

"Well, I'm pretty sure my name isn't Iggy, and I don't have red hair. And I definitely am not a guy."

Scar mutters something, and I'm pretty sure it's something along the lines of, "Thank God for that."

"What?" I ask, right as I hear Max opens the door and says the same thing.

I'm tempted to yell JINX! But I instead keep a calm, cool demeanor and say briskly, "Get you and the Flock ready for the Grand Tour of Ridley's! We'll also show you the house that will be assigned to you. You'll be moving into it tomorrow."

Max just nods and little and closes the door. I hear her call the rest of the Flock, and soon after doors start to open, and out steps different Flock members. Nudge and Angel step out of Angel's room. Gazzy and Iggy out of Iggy's room. It makes sense, considering this is their first night in a new place, and they were in different rooms.

"Now, time for the Grand Tour! First of all, Ridley's is divided into four Sectors. We are in the middle of the four, where the little invisible lines cross. I live in Sector 3, but most people live in 2 and 4. Now..."

* * *

**It's a bit of a filler chapter, but, hey, it has a little bit of information you _might_ want.**

**Thanks for reading,  
**

**May you keep a strong heart and a steady mind,  
**

**-KaiAmazonKnightley  
**


	7. A Night Without the Others

**Sorry, guys. My laptop messed up AGAIN! So I had to type [most of] this on my new tablet. Which was the worst experience EVER! *sighs* I hate touch screen keyboards. Anyway, I'm giving you a long(er) chapter and a little bit 'o Fax. **

**Now, let's rewind a little to the night before!**

* * *

Chapter: 8

Location: 7th floor of Ridley's main building

Point of View: Gazzy

Recap: There isn't really one...

I flip over in my bed again. How in the world am I supposed to get comfortable?

I peek over the covers and across the dark room to the door. It's so tempting...

_Maybe if I just get up and walk around, I'll be able to sleep._ I tell myself. Throwing the blankets off of my and standing, I start to pace. I refuse to admit that I just want to be with the flock. I'm tough. I can go to sleep without them. Yeah.

Oh, who am I kidding? There's no way I can sleep in this silence that has such weight to it that it crushes me.

I tentatively reach forward and place my hand on the cold door handle. I twist it and push open the unlocked door. Peeking out into the dark hallway, I carefully tiptoe out of my room and to the room next to mine.

I hear Iggy shuffle to the door upon my knocking. He opens the door.

"What?" He asks.

I look down at my feet. "Well... uh..." I stutter.

"You lonely?" Iggy asks.

I nod, mumbling sheepishly, "Yeah..."

Iggy smiles and steps back, beckoning me inside. "Come on."

I step inside his room and go sit on his bed.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Iggy asks as he sits down beside me.

"What?"

"Being away from the flock."

"Yeah." I agree. "I just can't sleep well without hearing them around me."

"I understand completely."

***.*.*. Angel POV .*.*.***

I'm laying on my stomach, my wings stretched back, when I hear a quiet knock on my door.

Oh, goodie! Something to distract me from the fact that none of the flock is with me and that I can't hear any one's thoughts. Something to distract me from my thoughts, and my imagination coming up with something along the lines of me waking up in the morning and every one is gone because I wasn't able to read peoples' minds and know what was happening and I'm not distracted yet!

I jump up from the soft bed and pad across the small room to the door on silent, bare feet, glad for the thick, fluffy carpet. I swing it open to see Nudge standing there, hugging a pillow to her stomach.

"Sorry to bother you, Angel, but it's just that I couldn't sleep and-" Nudge is cut off by me hugging her. "Oh." She mumbles.

"Thank you! I was freaking out in there, all alone." I whisper.

Nudge smiles and we both walk into my room. I smile and sit on my bed, Nudge following suit, facing me. I snap twice in quick succession, a signal for the room. It brightens slightly, so that we can see better, though still dim.

"Ooh, how'd you get it to do that?" Nudge asks enthusiastically, doing anything to break the silence. That, or she was just being Nudge.

"Well, I figured out how to fix the settings so that certain sounds will change things." To demonstrate, I snap five times, making the lights go to their normal brightness.

"So you only figured out how to affect the lighting?" Nudge inquires.

Instead of answering, I snap then clap once, causing the TV to turn on. I proceed to clap twice. The room responds by the table moving out of the wall, chairs rising from the floor around it. I clap once and it puts itself away. I snap twice and clap once, and the computer groans to life. I snap once, clap twice, and the TV turns off. I snap twice and clap twice, causing the computer to go back to sleep. I quickly sweep my right fingers over the top of my left hand, causing a noise. Everything turns off, and the room says in it's mechanical but strangely pleasing voice, "Good night." Then soft violin and cello music starts playing, perfect for lulling one to sleep.

"Wow..." Nudge says. Maybe she's, for once, stunned to silence.

This is the first time EVER! I need to record this moment forever! The rest of the flock won't believe me, but still. Nudge was stunned to silence!

"ZOMG! That is soooooo totally coolio! OMG, Angel, I mean, how in the world did you even figure all this out?! This is, like, so awesome! And-'

Or not. I block her out, waiting for her to stop talking. She finally realizes my patient waiting.

"Oops?" She attempts, smiling a little.

I laugh. "Here, I'll explain it to you." I say with a smile. "Miss Heya?"

"Miss Heya?" Nudge asks.

Before she can open her mouth to continue her ranting, I quickly cut her off by answering her question. "It's what I named the room. It means room in Japanese."

"Oh, that's creative." Nudge says sarcastically.

"Anyway. So, how you change the rooms settings is..."

*.*.*. Max POV .*.*.*

I lay in my bed, wishing for, no, scratch that. _Begging_ for sleep. For the twenty thousandth time that night, I push the flock out of my mind, throw the want to be with them over a mental cliff and into an abyss where it keeps on climbing out of, and berate myself for such thoughts. They're all asleep. I don't want to disturb them.

But what if all of them just suddenly disappear? What if they, I don't know, spontaneously disappear into thin air. Or thick air. Or moderate air. Or stale air. Or-

And this is what happens when my sleep-deprived mind is allowed to worry.

I roll over and slam my face into the pillow. Though soft, I can't breath.

But this pillow is really soft. It's nice. It's fluffy.

Sigh. My mind is fluffy.

No. Fuzzy. Kinda like this pillow...

No, no, no. What? That doesn't make any sense. AH!

Okay, okay. To reiterate, my mind is foggy for lack of sleep, not fluffy, fuzzy, or any of the above.

But I _am_ starting to think that it's gone.

I groan. _I can't take it any more!_

I throw the blankets off of me and roll out of the bed and on to my sleep.

Feet! I meant feet.

Gosh.

I shake my head to clear it and make my way across the room. Gripping the doorknob, I fling the door open and cross the hall to Fang's room.

I hesitate, but shove the hesitation aside. I have a few seconds fueled by courage. Can't waste that.

So, taking a deep breath, I steel myself. Then shove open the door.

Fang looks up from his laptop. He sees me and raises an eyebrow.

Okay, so maybe that courage was stupidity.

"Hey. I... I um..."

Fang smiles and says, "Don't want to be alone?"

I nod, biting my lip. Fang stands and walks over to me, putting his arm across my shoulders. We go sit on his bed and talk about totally random things for about an hour, avoiding the fact that the Flock is separated. Well, we're still in the same building, just different rooms.

Finally I blurt, "Do you think we can trust them?"

Fang turns to look at me. After a few seconds of thinking it through, he nods and says quietly, "Yeah... I think we can. But we should probably keep our guard up. Wait until we've met the other Hybrids, a few more people... then fully decide."

I consider this. "Yeah... That sound like a good plan."

We drift off of the topic, going back to aimless conversation, until I finally drift off to sleep, Fang's arm around my waist.

* * *

**Okay, so it was only about 300 words more than usual, but I still hope you liked it.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and giving this story a shot.  
**

**May you keep a strong heart and a steady mind,  
**

**-KaiAazonKnightley  
**


End file.
